As we survey the retail ecosystem, we, like the rest of women in America, are thrilled by the boom in athleisure. Vogue published an article earlier this year highlighting the many ways that one can wear and style athletic wear, even giving us permission to wear athletic clothes all day. If Anna Wintour says it’s OK, who are we to argue?

What caused the athleisure boom?

Out of a combination of curiosity, a passion for retail and of course, self-interest, we asked ourselves, “Is athleisure here to stay?” But before we look to the future, let’s first attempt to diagnose where the trend started. We credit Lululemon (which was started almost 20 years ago) with driving the trend forward by showing us not only how comfortable we can be, but also how good we can look in their yoga pants. The Juicy Couture tracksuit took the trend to a new level over a decade ago by demonstrating how athletic wear can not only be comfortable, but that it can also be a symbol of style and status. As the clothing got more stylish - think cool wrap sweaters and criss-crossed tops - it became even more acceptable to wear athletic wear outside of the yoga studio and a proliferation of brands (like Alo Yoga, Rhone and others) flourished.

Athleisure will evolve as a category

But can this really last forever? Our answer is yes and no. On the one hand, we don’t think that Athleisure in the way it’s known today - primarily intended as athletic wear but loosely interpreted as work and casual wear - will continue. Instead, as fabric technology improves, we think that athletic wear will slowly make its way back into the gym while new brands rise to take its place.

We’re talking about brands that take the best of athleisure - comfort, ease of care, durability, functionality - and translate it into more stylish ensembles that are actually intended to be worn to work. Two great examples are Pivotte and Aella. Aella’s clothes are stylishly tailored, machine washable and the fabric makes the clothes feel like something you could wear to the gym with an important difference - it looks like something you should distinctly be wearing to the office.

Comfort isn't just for the gym anymore

We sat down with Eunice Cho, the CEO of Aella, to ask her what inspired her to start the brand. When she first started working on Aella, “...there weren’t brands like ADAY, or other athleisure concepts that bridged the gap between activewear and ready-to-wear. Fashionable activewear started pushing the envelope, but everything still very much had a gym aesthetic. However, brands were popping up in menswear that were focused on comfort and versatility. Finally, the activewear sector was just growing and growing. I knew it was just a matter of time that this trend would bleed into other categories. We see Aella as the workhorse of the modern woman’s wardrobe: it’s the trusty essential that you can go back to, again and again.”

We’ve also seen this desire for comfort seep into other areas of women’s fashion, namely, lingerie. Several up and coming brands like AdoreMe and True & Co strive to disrupt Victoria’s Secret by providing a comfortable alternative that allows women to look and feel great.

All in all, we think there is a lot to look forward to. While we might miss wearing our Lululemon pants everywhere, we’re excited to have a more stylish and equally functional alternative. Most importantly, we’re here to support all types of businesses, whether you’re an athleisure brand or not. At Fuse, we want to help you focus on your business, not your inventory.